Street-sweeping machine.



B. KERN, JR. STREET SWEEPING- MACHINE. APPLIUATION FILED JAN. 27, 1005.

Patented Dec. 21, 1909.

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)NVENTOR WITN ESSES B. KERN, J3. STREET SWEEPIN G MACHINE. APPLICATION IILED JAN. 27, 1905.

Patented Dec. 21, 1909.

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mine/5512s B. KERN, JR.

STREET SWEEPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 27, 1905.

WITNESSES Patented Dec. 21,1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEBT 3.

lAlVE/VTO R MMMX B. KERN, JR. STREET SWEEPING MACHINE.

APPLIOATIONIILED JAN. 27, 1905.

Patented Dec. 21, 1909.

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WIT/VESSES J. ai/Q7. 7

. UNITED @EPAQIESi WENT FFKCE.

BERNARD KERN, JR., OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO KERN AUTO STREET SWEEPER CORPORATION, O F NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

STREET-SXVEEPING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it: known that. l, Bunxann KERN, J12, a citizen of the Unitedfitates, and resident of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Street-Sweeping Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention. such as will enable others skilled in tln art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a. part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in tho class of street sweeping machines in which a force d aft is employed in conjunction with a revolving brush or broom to remove the dust and dirt from the surface of the street and deposit Elie same in a suitable receptacle associated with the machine.

In the use of pneumatic street cleaners employing an air-conduit having its inlet .or mouth piece widened to substantially the width 'of the broom or other cleaning medium, ditliculty has arisen in equalizing the air suction throughout the width of the inlet for the reason that the air draft does not expand sufliciently at the widened mouth of the conduit to include the outer extremities thereof, thus permitting a greater or less quantity of the dust and dirt set in motion by the brushes to remain in the outer air or fall to the surface again after the machine has passed.

An object of my invention is to obviate this difiiciilty by the provision of means within the mouth-piece of the air-conduit whereby the air draft is equalized and evenly distributed throughout the width of the inlet.

It is also the purpose of my invention to provide an air-conduit the inlet end of which is made laterally adjustable with respect to the machine to enable it to follow the position of the broom should it be of a character adapted to be extended laterally of the machine. to form a gutter cleaning broom.

The construction, operation and arrangement of the parts comprising my invention are fully described in the following specification, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Figurol is a slde elevation of a street- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 27,1905.

Patented Dec. 21, 1909;

Serial No. 242,831

sweeping-machine embodying my invention, showing in dotted lines the various internal operative parts thereof. Fig. 2 is a rear end view of the dust collecting conduit and asst ciated broom, showing the broom in central longitudimil section and adjusted tor cleaning a gutter and the ctihduit equipped with a mouth-mete of the construction employed when the broom is so adjusted. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, Fig. t a top plan view, and

Fig. 5 a rear elevation of the main mouthpiece of the air-conduit. Fig. 6 is a detail of the ln'omn-hanger means and broom and mouth-piece connecting member. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of the broom and fan operating mechanism. Fig. 8 is a rear elevation of the air-conduit and associated broom, with the broom shown in central longitudinal section and in normal position and the conduit equipped with the main mouthpiece. Fig. i) is a rear elevation of the air-conduit adjusted for and having the gutter mouth-piece secured thereto. Figs. 10 and 11 are diagrammatical views showing the relative degree of adjustment of the connecting section of the conduit when it is adjusted as shown in Figs. 9 and 8, respectively, and Fig. 12 is a central vertical section of the adjustable portion of the airconduit.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the frame or body of a machine containing my invention, which is supported upon and made portable by two'front wheels B and two rear wheels 0. The frame or body A is provided at the rear thereof with adirt receptacle D .into which the sweepings are discharged. The forward portion of the frame or body A is shown as being equipped with an engine F which communicates power to the rear drive-wheels C through the medium of the sprocket-chains a and I) and connected sprocket wheels, as shown, for the purpose of propelling the machine. A sec oud engine or motor F, shown in Fi 7, is mounted in advance of the engine .F and is intended to communicate motion to the broom or brush G and fan H, which latter receives its power through the medium of the sprocket-wheel 3, on the engine shaft 3, and the sprocket-chain 3P, and causes a forced draft within the air-conduit-I for the purpose of carrying to the receptacle D the dust and sweeping set in motion by the op eration of the brush or broom G.

broom, as shown in Fig. 2.

Beneath the forward portionof the frame A and. at either side thereof is secured a bracket 1. In these two brackets are jour- I naled the ends of a shaft 2, carrying a sprocket-Wheel'Q upon which runs a chain 2 which is driven by a sprocket-wheel 2 on the engine-shaft 3, as shown in Fig. 7

and by-dotted lines in Fig. 1. J ournaled or pivoted loosely upon each end of the shaft 2 is a forwardly-projecting arm 4:, both of which arms'have bearings provided at their forward extremities in which are mounted The broom shaft 5 is made longitudinally extensible to enable it to be extended laterally -of the machine to carry a' gutter The manner shown of, accomplishing this is to form the shaft 5 into two sections havingtheir point of connection adjacent to the sprocket 6, which is mounted on the shorter section. The short shaft section has its inner end enlarged and axially bored as at 5*- to receive the inn r end of the long shaft section when in normal position and is also formed flush with its inner end with an annular flange 5' Vhen the shaft is extended the long section thereof is released from the socket in the short section and moved longitudinally in its bearing until its outer end extends the desired distance laterally of the machine. This being done an annularly flanged member 5, corresponding in size to the flange 5 is secured to theinner end of the long shaft section, as shown in Fig. 2, and a cylindrical shell or spacing-member 8 then placed axially between the contiguous eii is of the shaft sections with its end castings abutting the faces of the flanges 5 and 5 thereon to which they are rigidly secured by pins or bolts 82 The cylindrical casing of the shell Sis adapted to have a limited longitudinal movement with respect to one of its end castings by reason of the retaining pins 8* therein operating within elongated slots 8" provided insaid casing. A coiled compression-spring 8 is mounted within the spacing-member 8 with its ends abutting the end castings thereof, and is adapted to permit of a longitudinally-yielding movement of the extended portion of the shaft when the flanged-nut 5 at the outer end thereof comes in sliding contact with the curbing or other obstacle at the side of the machine. As the hanger-arm 4 at the extended end of the shaft 5 is mounted between the broomsections as shown, when the shaft is extended,-it is necessary to so mount said arm as to enable it to have a movement with the shaft and broom sections when the spring 8 lis compressed. This is accomplished by loosely mounting the inner end of said arm a to have a sliding movement on the shaft 2.

The mouth-piece 9,. which'leads from the ground in advance of the brushes or brooms G to and communicates with the air-conduit I below the fan H has its lower edges or in substantial alinement with its contracted upper portion. In order to cause the air draft to be deflected and equally distributed to the outer edge of the mouth-piece inlet as well as to the central portion thereof, I provide a series of vertically disposed partitions 10 therein which lead from the lower to the upper contracted portion of the mouth-piece and divide it into a series of channels thereby causing the main air-conduit to draw its supply of air from two or more diverging conduits and preventing a stagnation of the air at the outer flared ends of the inlet. The partitions 10 are so positioned that the areas of the compartments or channels formed thereby are substantially equal throughout their length, thereby cansby the fan H to be equally apportioned tothe several channels of the mouth-piece.

The mouth-piece 9 is retained in proper relation to the broom section G by means of a link 12 being rigidly securedto the forward end of each arm 4 and having its forward end hinged or pivotally connected to the flange or web 9 projecting from the side of the mouth-piece as shown in Fig. (3-. To enable the mouth-piece to rise and fall with the brushes G as they pass over uneven surfaces the upper or contracted end thereof is removably secured by set screws or other suitable means to the lower end ol' the iiexi ble conduit section 11, the upper end of which section connects with a rotatable conduit section 13 to which it is secured by a clamping-ring 11, which adjustably secure( to the section' 13 by set-screws or in any other suitable manner, as shown in F 12. The section 13 has its upper end cut on a slight slant andadjustablysecured by means of set-screws or the like to the flange or nipple 14 of the stationary p(n:t1on' of the conduit I to cause the lower end thereof, when turned relative to the conduit and section ll, to be thrown to the right or left to suit the positions of either mouth-piece S) i and or 15, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. The lateral throw of the lower end of the section 13 is also illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11.

As it would be impossible to employ a mouth-piece of the same shape as the mouthpiece 9 when the sections 11 and 13 are thrown tt iie right to follow the extended position oi' the brushes, I provide for this purpose a substitute mouth-piece 15, which is similar in its construction to the main mouthpiece 9, having its upper end shaped to connect with the flexible conduit section 11, its inlet end broadened to substantially the combined length of the broom sections, and its interior provided with partitions running lengthwise thereof and converging from bottom to top to divide the mouth piece into a series of channels of substantially equal area, but is slightly changed in shape from said mouth-piece, as shown in Figs. 2 and 9, to enable the inlet end thereof to remain on a plane parallel to the surface of the'pavement when the conduit sections 11 and 13 are shifted from the position shown in Fig. 8.

Having thus described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,-

1.. In a street-sweeper, the combination with the dust conduit, of a mouthpiece at the receiving end thereof, said mouth'pieee having its inlet end broadened to form an elongated opening of greater length than the diameter of the conduit, and a plurality of partitions in the mouthpiece for causing an equalization of the air current throughout its'widtlnsaid partitions extending from top to bottom of the mouth-piece and having their lower ends spaced farther apart than their upper ends, substantially as described.

2. A mouth-piece of the class described having a substantially round upper end and a broad, fiat lower or inlet end provided with a long, narrow inlet opening, the crosssectional area of the mouth-piece remaining substantially the same throughout its length, partitions extending through the mouth-piece for 'the purpose of dividing it into a plurality of channels of substantially equal cross-sectional area throughout its length.

5. In a street sweeper, in combination, a rotarybroom mounted for adjustment transversely of the machine, a dust conduit having a part shiftablet to suit the position of adjustment of the broom, and a mouthpiece for the conduit having a broad, inlet or lower end provided with a lon narrow inlet opening. substantially as described.

4. The combination in a street-sweeper, of a shaft having a portion of its length extended be ond the side of the machine, bearing-arms" carrying the shaft, means for extending the shaft andpermitting a yielding movement thoreof,-a broom carried,

y the shaft between its bearings and a second broom carried by the extended end thereof,

a dirt receptacle, a conduit leading thereto from the brooms and having its outer or inlet end laterally adjustable to suit the position of the brooms, and a mouth-piece at the inlet end of the conduit having its'mouth or intake broadened and in juxtaposition to the brooms.

5. In a street sweeper, a broom, a shaft on which said broom is mounted, means for longitudinally adjusting said shaft whereby a portion of said broom maybe positioned at the side of the machine, a fan, a conduit leading from the broom to the fan, said conduit having its outer or broom end laterally adjustable to suit the position of adjustment of the broom, and a mouth-piece for the conduit. I

(3. In a street-sweeper, the combination of a longitudimilly adjustable shaft, a series of broom sections mounted on the shaft and adjustable therewith, a dirt receptacle, a conduit leading from the .brooms to the dirt receptacle, the broom end of the conduit being adjustable to suit the adjusted position of the broom sections; and a mouthceive the sweepings.

7. In a street sweeper, an adjustable broom, a conduit. lfiving a part shiftablc to suit the position of adjustment of the broom, and a mouth-piece for said part having its inlet end broadened and formed with a plurality of channels which have their months at the inlet end of the vmouth-piece and their inner ends disposed adjacent the point of connection of the mouth-piece to the conduit.

S. In a street-sweeper, a longitudinally adjustable shaft, a broom section mounted on the shaft and adjustable therewith, and a dust conduit having a part shiftable to suit the position of adjustment of the broom, and a mouth-piece for the conduit,

9. In combination, a shaft, arms pivotally secured to said shaft and having bearings formed in their free ends one arm being permitted to have a sl ding movement longitudinally of said shaft, a rotary brush carrying shaft mounted in the hearings in said arms and being separable at a point between the arms and means disposed between the separable portions of the shaft for yieldingly extending the shaft section carried by the sliding arm.

10. In combination, a shaft, two arms pi votally carried by said shaft, 0. second shaft carried by said arms and adapted to be separated and longitudinally extended so that a portion projects beyond one of said arms, a plurality of broom sections mounted on said separable shaft and adapted to be posh tioned thereon so that all are disposed between said arms or one or more mounted on the extended portion thereof, and means for retaining said second shaft in yieldingly. extended position,

1.1. I11 a street-sweeper, a longitudinally adjustable shaft having apart capable of permitting a yielding longitudinal move-- ment thereof, a broom section mounted on the-shaft and adjustable therewlth, and a dust condult having a part shiftable to suit 'the position of adjustment of the broom,

and Ya mouthfpiece for the conduit.

12. In .a street-sweeper, an adjustable broom, a fixed conduit part, a part rotatably carried by the fixed part and fashioned to cause a rotary movement thereof to shift the position of its outer end, a flexible conduit part attached to the outer end of said rotary part, and a mouth-piece carried by i the flexible part.

13'. In combination, a driven-shaft, means for driving said shaft, spaced arms pivotally carried by said shaft, one arm being movable longitudinally of the shaft, a broom shaft journaled in the outer ends of said arms,

of the broom, and a mouth-piece carried by l 'sald conduit part, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name to th1s specification 1n the presence of two subscribing wltnesses.

BERNARD'KERN, J R.

WVitnesses CORNELL SCHREIBER,

G. W. OWEN; 

